Jack Chen moved from Taiwan to Vancouver as a child, and it was only after he completed an economics degree that he realized his real interest was in cooking.

He’s worked under David Gunawan at Farmer’s Apprentice and Royal Dinette with their farm-to-table approach to cooking, and he recently moved on to L’Abattoir as chef de cuisine. He’s worked abroad at several Michelin-starred restaurants, like The Ledbury in London, Per Se in New York, Ubuntu (now closed) in the Napa Valley and La Vie in Germany.

Q: What motivates and inspires you as a chef?

A: With the dishes I create, I’m always inspired by the season. I’m very proud to work places that put an emphasis on cooking with ingredients that are in season and local. As I’m constantly sourcing these kinds of ingredients, I’ve developed great relationships with local suppliers. I’m motivated to showcase their products to the best of my ability and promote the philosophy of cooking and eating sustainably.

Q: How would you describe the type of food you like to cook?

A: I’d describe it as Pacific Northwest cuisine with an Asian influence (due to my Taiwanese background), with a heavy influence on seasonal and local ingredients.

Q: What might diners not know about you?

A: I’m very fortunate to have a lot of great chefs in my family. There are many hands in the kitchen during our holiday gatherings — and you can imagine how incredible the food is!

A: Sea urchin when it’s in season. Jenice Yu from F.I.S.H. supplies them to us. The flavour is so delicate that we try to do as little to it as possible. Also, following a ‘no-waste’ philosophy, I even use B-grade urchin for butter and sauces that I make in house. Recent sea urchin dishes include: squid ink bucatini with sea urchin butter, Humboldt squid and chili; sea urchin with ajoblanco (a Spanish soup), salted turnip, salmon roe and shiso; and sea urchin with smoked almond, potato skin and pickled chive flower.

Q: If there’s one important piece of advice you have for cooks, what might that be?

A: Organize. Whenever I cook a big dinner for friends and family at home, I tend to over-organize. From shopping, to ingredient prep, and even cooking, I avoid making myself feel rushed. I know this is harder than it sounds, but this allows me more time to socialize with my guests during dinner rather than spending time stuck in the kitchen.

RECIPE

This pasta dish by chef Jack Chen of Royal Dinette, is earthy comfort during cold weather. Chen suggests topping the dish with a few slices of thinly sliced raw pear and toasted walnuts.

7 eggs

5 egg yolks

1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil

7 1/2 cups (3 L) all-purpose flour

2.2 lbs (1 kg) celeriac (peeled and cut into small cubes)

1 cup (250 mL) butter

1 sprig of thyme

1 cup (250 mL) chicken or vegetable stock

1 cup (250 m L) heavy cream

2 tsp (10 mL) kosher salt

2 tsp (10 mL) ground black pepper

9 oz (250 g) grated Grana Padano or Parmesan Reggiano

Combine eggs, yolks and olive oil.Slowly incorporate wet mixture into flour.Once dough has come together, knead for 15 minutes until elasticity is formed. Rest for one hour before use.

While dough it resting, roast celeriac in a pot with butter with sprig of thyme on medium to medium-high heat until soft and caramelized. Once roasted, strain fat and remove thyme. Add stock and cream to celeriac and reduce by half.

Transfer to a blender and purée till smooth.Transfer purée to a bowl, add cheese, salt and pepper then allow to cool.

Once dough has rested and filling has cooled, use a rolling pin and flour to roll out your dough into a sheet (about 1/8 inch thick). Use a ravioli maker to fill and seal your ravioli. If you don’t have a ravioli maker, you can use a round cookie cutter or an upside-down glass to cut your pasta circles, and seal your ravioli by brushing water on the edges of your circles before pressing them together.

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